Pickle Torah

Pickles and Torah - What could they possibly have in common besides that both are loved by Jews around the world? This series of learn-shops will bring fermentation and torah together to explore a Do-It-Yourself ethos in Judaism and in our relationships with food. Pickle Torah will lead participants in making a variety of fermented foods while diving deep into Jewish texts that foment participant's thinking about themes of responsibility, creativity, and nourishment.

pickle - pik(ə)l / noun- Basic foods we make ourselves using natural processes that take time

Torah - tôˈrä / noun - The way we walk in the world

PICKLE TORAH WILL LEAD PARTICIPANTS IN MAKING A VARIETY OF FERMENTED FOODS WHILE DIVING DEEP INTO TEXTS THAT STIMULATE PARTICIPANT'S THINKING ABOUT THEMES OF RESPONSIBILITY, CREATIVITY, AND NOURISHMENT. THIS SERIES OF LEARN-SHOPS WILL BRING FERMENTATION AND TORAH TOGETHER TO EXPLORE A DO-IT-YOURSELF ETHOS IN JUDAISM AND IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH FOOD.

Winter 2016 CLASSES

CLASS 1 : LO B'SHAMYIM HI /לֹא בשמים היא / IT IS NOT IN HEAVEN

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 27TH 6-8PM

The ability to change, to transform, is a necessary part of persistence. This class will explore the tension between transformation and preservation through making basic (fermented) vegetable pickles alongside an old story about some teachers (Rabbis) and their dispute over an oven and over the authority of the voice of Gd.

RESCHEDULED!! Wednesday March 2nd 6-8pm

A meditation on the space our lives can hold for quality. Whether our relationships with materialism tend toward excess or denial, an exploration of the role of beauty in our lives can help us cultivate intentional and mindful connection to our daily lives. In this second class we’ll make our own fermented beverages and study Torah texts about the creation of holy spaces.

Class 3 - How does Torah "pickle" us?

Wednesday March 30th 6-8pm

What is Torah? Is it a book? A practice? A lens? An orientation? Through studying the rhythms of dairy fermentation alongside poetic texts about Torah and time, we'll explore the role of commitment in our own lives. This closing class of our series will examine Torah as a two way relationship, in which both of us are changed.

BRING

a wide mouth glass jar & an open mind!

I came into Pickle Torah thinking that you fermented cucumbers to make pickles and that you studied scripture to learn Torah. After just three classes with Blair, I began to realize that these words - fermenting, culture, Torah - are much much more. During the first part of each class, we learned how to ferment a particular food: vegetables (pickles), yogurt, and kombucha. After, we dug into a bit of text study and conversation. For someone that doesn’t typically engage in Torah study, I was surprised at how relevant the conversations and the readings felt. Blair has such a powerful way of connecting our food to our Torah, to our lives. This exploration of life and what sustains us deeply mirrored our learning of the natural processes that preserve and change our food. Soon enough, I felt like “fermenting” and “Torah” were interchangeable: they are both the ever-evolving, deeply rooted process of how we grow and sustain ourselves - and Blair led us beautifully through this process.